Robert Bryndza's latest is a terrific addition in the Kate Marshall series, set in Devon in 2015, it has Kate and her partner, Tristran Harper, delving into a cold case mystery that goes back 12 years to 2002 and Joanna Duncan, an ambitious married journalist on West Country News. Duncan disappeared in Exeter, her mobile phone was found under her abandoned car, with CCTV able to track her making her way to the carpark, after which there is no further sighting. Kate has left her post as a lecturer, whilst Tristan continues to work at Ashdean University part time. Kate is trying to get her fledgling PI detective agency off the ground, helped by inheriting her AA sponsor and good friend Myra's home and caravan site business on her death. She is slowly recovering from her traumatic history with Peter Conway and her relationship with Jake has improved considerably, he returns from university to help her run the caravan site.
Bev Ellis is Joanna's mother, she has never recovered from the painful grief of losing her daughter, finding solace in drinking heavily. She has moved in with her long term partner, the wealthy construction business owner, Bill Norris, who is supporting Bev by paying Kate and Tristan for 6 months to find out what happened to Joanna, and locate her body so Bev can feel some sense of closure. The police have closed the case, and Kate is fortunate enough to be handed their entire case notes. The police got nowhere with their inquiries, and she knows that it will be difficult to make any progress, given the length of time that has passed. They begin by interviewing as many of the people they can from the case, including the editor, Joanna's husband, Fred, and her best friend. When Kate discovers the names of 2 missing men, their investigation goes on to uncover a serial killer who appears to be still active in the present, this leads to the police reopening the cold case.
Bryndza is a wonderfully talented crime writer, his plotting is impeccable, the tension and suspense ratchets up with each revelation and there are some surprising twists, particularly the final one. This is turning out to be a great crime series, with a fabulously atmospheric coastal location, and stand out characterisations. It looks like Kate is going to make her detective agency succeed against all the odds, she and Tristan work so well together, having each other's back when events take a deadly turn. Fans of Bryndza will love this, and I recommend this to other crime and mystery readers. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.